THE heart-warming tale of a devoted dog who mourned at his master’s grave for 18 years was immortalised in no fewer than three films, numerous paintings and a monument.

But a Cardiff University lecturer claims that the popular Greyfriars Bobby legend which softened Victorian hearts, gave impetus to the animal rights movement and attracted tourists to an Edinburgh cemetery for more than 150 years, was in fact a clever ruse to make money.

Senior lecturer Dr Jan Bondeson reveals evidence in his book that there were in fact two Bobbies from 1858 to 1872 – and that neither of them belonged to the man buried in Greyfriars cemetery, Edinburgh, whose grave they sat by. His research shows the first dog was in fact a stray, which was treated so well by the graveyard’s curator James Brown that he stayed.

Locals assumed he was mourning his master, and as the story spread visitors to the churchyard increased a hundredfold, with many donating money to Mr Brown and frequenting a nearby restaurant owned by John Traill.

The writer said: “I went to Edinburgh three times for five or six days to see what could be unearthed about Bobby. There was quite a lot of archival material that gave quite a different story than the guidebooks.

“When the first Bobby kicked the bucket they got hold of another dog. The first Bobby was seen at a cemetery around 1858. Everyone described him as an old dog already in 1864 so it would have been a miracle to me if this elderly dog lived on for another eight years until 1872.”

Pictures of faithful Bobby changed distinctly around May or June 1867, when an elderly, tired dog appeared to rejuvenate into a terrier which fought with other dogs.

Dr Bondeson said: “The first dog was a dark yellow mongrel terrier, possibly greyish, and one side of his face was broader than the other – which was completely harmless but it made the dog very distinctive.

“The second dog was a handsome little Skye terrier, he was grizzled black with brown paws. There were people in the know in Edinburgh at that time who actually realised there was something very fishy going on but it was not in their interests to go squealing to the newspapers about it.”

The story meandered and changed over the years, with Greyfriars Bobby’s late master having been a shepherd, and later a policeman.

Dr Bondeson said: “An old shepherd, historically, would have had no business being buried in Greyfriars – it was reserved for local residents. Would Bobby have been a police dog – a tiny Skye terrier as big as a cat? There is no evidence throughout history that says a tiny little dog would have been a police dog.”

But it was primarily Greyfriars Bobby’s affect upon attitudes about animal rights which ensured he wasn’t forgotten.

The 48-year-old said: “Another curious finding, there was not just one cemetery dog. They were all over Europe, and there were three in London.

“No cemetery in Paris was complete without a cemetery dog mourning its master.

“The other cemetery dogs were forgotten but it was only Greyfriars Bobby who remained famous.

“The reason for that is surely he was taken up by the early animal protection movement.

“He became a symbol of Edinburgh in a way and a symbol of canine fidelity, which was used by the RSPCA.”

Greyfriars Bobby has been celebrated in books and films, including the 1961 Disney hit of the same name.

A grave was even erected in memory of the dog, reading “let his loyalty and devotion be a lesson to us all”.

Greyfriars Bobby: The Most Faithful Dog in the World is available from Amberley Publishing and costs £18.